Tim Emely, Ligonier, had a heart attack on Jan. 2, 2003. Then in 2011, he had terrible pain in his legs.

Diane Slis, 62, saw herself as healthy: she didn’t smoke, she exercised regularly and she ate a nutritious diet. After all, she’d seen her father – who smoked and was overweight – die of a heart attack when he was in his early fifties and lost her brother to a heart attack at age 60. Yet in January 2021, Diane was home alone shoveling her driveway after a snowfall when she felt pain in her chest that was so severe, she stopped and went inside to text her husband, Bryan. Can you call me back? It’s kind of urgent.

You don’t need to wait for a diagnosis of a heart or vascular condition to focus on feeling better and having more energy. Because that’s what having a strong heart does – pumps oxygen-rich blood through your body to provide nutrients to your brain, your feet, even your stomach.

Nothing warned Chip Mitros, 45, that his heart was in bad shape. He faithfully exercised five days a week at a gym near his Niles, Michigan, home, had never smoked and felt he was in good health.

Let's face it. Setting and sticking to our health goals can be hard. We turned to our specialists in cardiac rehabilitation for their best advice. After all, their patients – many who may have had or narrowly averted a heart attack – may be more motivated than most of us.

A heart catheterization is a procedure where a very thin cable wire (the catheter) is inserted through an artery in the patient’s wrist or groin. The tube is guided to the heart, providing the physician with images showing how the heart is working and enabling any blockages to be identified.

You may think leg pain or a slow-healing wound is a normal part of aging. Not necessarily. That nagging ache may be your body's way of sending a warning signal that something more serious is going on.

If you’ve been prescribed medication for high blood pressure, you may be relieved to know that your medication may offer some protection against severe COVID-19, a new study reported in Reuters last week.

The leading cause of death for women in the U.S. is cardiovascular disease – outnumbering the next 16 causes of death in women combined, including all cancers. Yet prevention and treatment for women are still less aggressive than for men. We need to change this.

If you or someone you live with is having symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, please call 9-1-1. We are concerned that some people may not be calling because they’re afraid of COVID-19. The hospital is the safest place for you to be if you are having a medical crisis.